Even
following one of the most successful
seasons in school history, the Bears
left 2004 with a sour taste outside
the Holiday Bowl. A hurricane-delayed
tilt with Southern Mississippi resulted
in a 10-point win, but the Bears didn't
dominate, and they slipped just enough
in the late-season BCS polls to become
the odd-man out of the major bowls.
Cal then reflected its disappointment
by not even showing up in a 45-31
loss to a seemingly inferior Texas
Tech squad. The statement this makes
about the coaches' abilities to motivate
(and the remaining players' integrity)
is huge, and must be countered before
three years worth of growing momentum
is lost. Character is how Cal rose
from abysmal to mediocrity, and then
to their present top-flight levels,
and without continuity this way, the
Bears will quickly sink back to a
previous form.

USC
alone makes the Pac 10 crown (again)
an unrealistic focus. The bright side
is, though, that the Bears still are
going to be one of the most talented
and well coached teams in the conference.
No one can tell how long until the
new talent can/will perform at past
levels. Early season wins will be
tougher than expected, but the non-conference
slate is extremely forgiving, and,
as already stated, conference tilts
aren't much to worry about until mid-October.

Cal
could be rolling along as one of the
nation's better teams, and sitting
pretty near the top of the conference,
staring down the Trojans for a November
12th tangle in Berkeley. It's all
relative, however, and Bear fans must
also realize that a four-loss season
also appears to be conceivable. The
range of where they could land is
wide. Even so, Cal seems to be one
of those feel-good programs, the type
that American football fans embrace
as being one of their own.

For
a team that loses so many great starters,
including all-American caliber players
at both RB and QB, any consistency
early will be hard to come by, but
the pains will be worth it. A young
set of backs and receivers, together
with a revamped defensive front seven,
will provide the new storyline. All
the efforts need to focus on a very
difficult late-season slate, by which
point this team will have already
discovered destiny. You can save the
"Tedford-for-hire" talk
now. We can see Oski jumping already...

QuarterbackTo
say that Cal lacks experience at quarterback
would be a gross understatement. No one
returning QB on the Bear roster has ever
tossed the pigskin in a real game situation.
The extreme deprivation of experience here
is offset by the young talent waiting in
the wings. The youthful inexperience under
center may prove a detriment at first, but
you'd be hard pressed to find a program
that develops young signal-callers quite
like Cal. In other words, any lumps taken
early will translate into that much more
success later on. Enter top junior college
stud Joseph Ayoob straight from Cal's own
Bay Area. Ayoob's prototypical size and
great athleticism makes him a prime work-in-progress
for the capably awaiting hands of head coach
Jeff Tedford. Both redshirt freshman Nathan
Longshore (6'5", 225lbs. with superior
arm strength) and Joseph Ayoob have all
the necessary tools to become the next great
Golden Bear quarterback(s), so expect to
see a noticeable progression at the position
as the season advances.

Running
BackAs
gaudy as J.J. Arrington's stats were a year
ago, it is freshman Marshawn Lynch's eye-popping
8.8 YPC (and eight TDs in just 71 carries)
that now jumps out the most. It's rare the
case that the loss of a 2000-yard rusher
results in such minor drop off, but that
seems to be true in Berkeley. Despite being
a mid-sized back, Lynch still displays the
great power running-style as a perfect complement
to his fantastic breakaway speed. With a
lack of firepower at wideout, expect all
backs to be used more as route-runners.
Moreover, expect a more concerted effort
to put Lynch in one-on-one situations with
slower defenders, a stage on which his talents
are proven able to thrive. The Bear backup
TBs are built the same, so little changes
scheme-wise in any rotations (senior Terrell
Williams had an 8.4 YPC average in '04 himself).
Additionally, returning FB Chris Manderino's
role should invoke even more of an offensive
presence. His two TDs through the air should
signal opponents that coaches like to send
the ball his way. A strong line, too, means
the glass here is definitely half full,
so to speak.

ReceiversThe
loss of four-fifths of a talented receiving
core creates a vacuum of experience here.
The two-deep talent here consists almost
exclusively of '04 redshirts and incoming
freshmen. The most experienced of the bunch,
sophomore Robert Jordan, will again. Jordan
was a short-route guy (longest catch 29yds.),
but his role will now expand greatly. After
such a promising spring report prior to
2004, speedster Sam DeSa failed to produce.
Now, with less depth at the spot, look for
DeSa to compete with incoming freshmen Desean
Jackson, and CCSF-transfer Lavelle Hawkins
for the right to start opposite Jordan.
Jackson comes in as the No.3 nationally-rated
WR recruit this year (Rivals.com), and we
expect him to be in the mix early. An all-around
deficiency in terms of size (none is taller
than 6') is a definite concern, but what
this group lacks in size, it makes up for
with tremendous athleticism. Offensive coordinator
George Cortez will make an attempt to spread
the field, which is their best chance at
being successful with a learning QB.

Tight
EndBeing
that the tight end is so highly utilized
in Cal's offensive approach, the loss of
Garrett Cross will somewhat hamper the efforts
to comfortably evolve a new offensive backfield.
Here is yet another offensive position faced
with two-deep youth talent, and inexperience
galore. Craig Stevens has been described
as a primarily blocking TE, and was the
second tight end listed behind the now-departed
Cross. He has great size, but lacks that
mismatch-type of quick-bursting speed needed
to be a great pass catcher. Converted WR
John Rust is the smallest and quickest of
the bunch, and has shown potential in limited
showings over the past two seasons, but
lacks the blocking instincts needed to be
an every down player. This dimension's limitations,
along with the new QB(s), will hinder Cal's
usual dynamic play-calling.

Offensive
LineWith
a fantastic 6.1 yards-per-rush mark, it's
rather surprising that four of five "big
nasties" return to the trenches. Aside
from the loss of OG Jonathan Giesel, the
'05 line appears more than ready to anchor
this young offense. The new guard inside
will be Erik Robertson, a low-centered strongman
revered for his accomplishments in the weight
room by Cal coaches. Robertson has been
praised for his great run-blocking leverage
and raw power, but needs to be better in
pass-blocking. The 25-sack total of last
season will likely increase, but not at
the expense of poor line play. All starters
being upper classmen means that this is
one of the best crews in the conference,
if not the entire nation.

OFFENSIVE
BREAKDOWNWith
so many losses here, 2005's production won't
come anywhere near that of last year. A
new quarterback must mature amongst playmakers
who have yet to be discovered. Cal's last
two recruiting classes have ranked amongst
the best, so every skill position - save
TE - should have plenty of hungry, emerging
achievers. Both QBs are drop-back style
passers, so a conservative approach is easy
to predict at first. Until time is given
for WR depth to develop, the Bears will
rely early on Marshawn Lynch, and then clever
play-calling, utilizing the speed at receiver
to keep the chains moving. Simply put, so
as the QB-WR development goes, so goes the
entire team's winning potential. With the
ease of the first six games, expect this
to again be a juggernaut by mid-season.

OT
Ryan O'Callaghan (PHOTO CREDIT - Michael
Pimentel)

CALIFORNIA
2005 DEPTH CHARTReturning Starters/Key
Players

OFFENSE

QB

Joseph
Ayoob-Jr (6-3, 220)

Nathan Longshore-So (6-5, 225)

FB

Chris
Manderino-Sr (6-1, 230)

Byron
Storer-Jr (6-1, 215)

TB

Marshawn
Lynch-So (5-11, 215)

Marcus
O'Keith-Jr (6-1, 190)

WR

Sam
DeSa-So (5-11, 185)

David
Gray-Jr (6-3, 220)

WR

Robert
Jordan-So (5-11, 160)

Noah
Smith-So (5-11, 180)

TE

Craig
Stevens-So (6-5, 255)

Eric
Beegun-Jr (6-3, 250)

OT

Andrew
Cameron-Jr (6-5, 305)

Mike
Tepper-Fr (6-6, 320)

OG

Erik
Robertson-Jr (6-2, 305)

Brian
De La Puente-So (6-4, 295)

C

Marvin
Philip-Sr (6-2, 305)

Alex
Mack-Fr (6-5, 295)

OG

Aaron
Merz-Sr (6-4, 340)

Noris
Malele-So (6-4, 280)

OT

Ryan
O'Callaghan-Sr (6-7, 360)

Scott
Smith-Jr (6-4, 265)

K

Tom
Schneider-So (6-0, 185)

Anthony
Binswanger-So (6-2, 195) (KO)

2005
DEFENSE

Defensive
LineThe
Bear defensive front appears more dismantled
than is actually the case. Despite the loss
of large amounts of starting talent up front,
Cal maintains at least eight dependable
rotation players in the two-deep charts.
Sixth-year defensive end Tosh Lupoi returns
to provide much needed leadership in the
front seven. Lupoi's exceptional size is
their key for defending outside the tackles.
His 37 tackles led all Bear front seven
defenders in '03. Starting weakside at DE
will be smallish junior Steve Kelly, a partial
starter who can also drop dependably into
coverage. Big, bruising defensive tackle
Brandon Mebane returns as well, and has
a great run-stuffing inside presence (six
TFLs in his 25 stops). Another force is
a must to accompany Mebane inside. A pair
of green DTs comes in from Hawai'i, but
only spring drills can give any legitimate
answers here. Watch for position changes
in an attempt to develop a larger inside
presence at the expense of so much depth
at end.

LinebackerAll
but one starting LB has graduated, leaving
several sophomores and incoming junior college
stars ready. Ryan Foltz is the lone returner
in the unit, and as a converted safety,
his size here has affected his production.
Much hype surrounds incoming JUCO blue-chip
speedster Desmond Bishop in the middle,
and he is expected to snag a starting spot.
Bishop's highly-praised instinctive play
made him an all-American (SFCC), and now
a definite presence for the Bears. With
so much youth competing fiercely for the
other spots, developments here won't be
known until post-spring. In the "pass
first, run second" conference known
as the Pac 10, youthful inexperience at
LB will have its work cut out, but looks
up to the task. Two-deep development is
expected for all three spots by mid-season.
Early bites in play-action schemes will
be hard learned lessons that had best come
in handy around October, when the tougher
conference foes come a calling.

Defensive
BackAt
DB, Cal has found a cornerstone on which
to build its defensive efforts. Both corners
return from last season's labored effort,
ad experienced depth should make the needed
difference. Senior Donnie McCleskey returns
to his starting position at rover after
leading the '03 team in tackles (102). McCleskey
is a ball-hawk and expected to make a return
to prior form. Three solid third-year starters
provide stability. CB Harrison Smith's size,
along with his 17 pass-breakups, makes him
a reliable shut-down guy. Lack of depth
in front of them could create issues of
extended coverage, and the occasional big
play will result from such.

DEFENSIVE
BREAKDOWNThere
isn't much to say, other than stating the
rather obvious heavy losses endured throughout
the front seven. That front seven created
such havoc that foes passed early and often
to stay in the game, the result being the
Bear's marginal secondary numbers. All of
that switches around this campaign. With
a solid secondary upon which to build, it
seems imminent that the Bears will have
issues stopping the run early. Without the
depth at LB, and the benefit of a consistent
push at DT, a decent pass rush will take
a while, meaning more big plays for Bear
opposition. Cal has a chance, though, to
approach its 24th rank in total defense.
Those first six games will signal just how
much trouble this side of the ball is in.

DB
Donnie McCleskey (PHOTO CREDIT - Michael
Pimentel)

CALIFORNIA
2005 DEPTH CHARTReturning Starters/Key
Players

DEFENSE

DE

Tosh
Lupoi-Sr (6-4, 260)

Philip
Mbakogu-So (6-3, 265)

DT

Matt
Malele-So (6-3, 305)

Chet
Teofilo-Fr (6-3, 265)

DT

Brandon
Mebane-Jr (6-3, 290)

Albert
Ma'afala-Jr (6-4, 280)

DE

Nu'u
Tafisi-Jr (6-2, 260)

Steve
Kelly-Jr (6-1, 250)

OLB

Ryan
Foltz-Sr (6-2, 225)

Chris
Purtz-Jr (6-2, 215)

MLB

Desmond
Bishop-Jr (6-2, 245)

..

OLB

Greg
Van Hoesen-So (6-3, 225)

Worrell
Williams-Fr (6-0, 255)

CB

Harrison
Smith-Sr (6-2, 200)

Tim
Mixon-Jr (5-8, 180)

CB

Daymeion
Hughes-Jr (6-2, 185)

..

ROV

Donnie
McCleskey-Sr (5-10, 190)

Bernard
Hicks-Fr (6-1, 200)

FS

Thomas
DeCoud (6-3, 200)

Wale
Forrester-Jr (5-10, 200)

P

David
Lonie-Sr (6-6, 220)

..

2005
SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker
A benign performance in the kicking game by Tom
Schneider leaves much to be desired here, nailing
just 4-of-11 from more than 30 yards away, and
therefore creating a pressure unneeded for this
very young offense. Kickoff coverage yielded just
over 20 yards per attempt last season, but continued
improvement is necessary to avoid placing a suspect
defense in proverbial holes.

Punter
With big-legged punter David Lonie coming back
for his senior season, Cal appears solid in at
least one special teams area. Lonie has shown
great promise with the consistent booting of 50+
yarders in practice, but his showings in real-game
situations have yet to meet such expectations.
Defensive holes mean eager, non-starting coverage
guys will want to show their wares.

Return
Game
With Marshawn Lynch moving to starter at RB, it
seems unlikely that Tedford will allow him on
kickoffs. With so much speed at WR, someone is
bound to emerge as a steady returner.